Chapter 167
Just as Stephanie was about to leave, she received a text from an unknown number. From the content, she knew it was Olivia. Stephanie couldn't understand Olivia's audacity in flaunting her success while Stephanie was facing a life-threatening illness. If Olivia weren't suffering from three terminal illnesses, Stephanie might have confronted her directly. Little did she know Olivia was barely clinging to life. That morning, seeing a large clump of hair on her pillow had nearly broken her heart.
Stephanie replied casually, "You said 'probably'—so it's not certain, is it?" She suspected Chris was still leading Olivia on; even Olivia wasn't sure about moving into Whispering Bay. Olivia responded, "Whether it's certain or not, Chris has nothing to do with you anymore." "Oh, how arrogant," thought Stephanie. She texted, "Aren't you afraid I'll show this to him?" Olivia replied, "I dare you." This wasn't Olivia's usual number, making Chris the deciding factor in believing either woman.
Stephanie texted, "I bet 300 thousand dollars you won't be able to move into Whispering Bay." Seeing Olivia's penchant for showing off, Stephanie decided to raise the stakes. Olivia's breath hitched at Stephanie's message; malice flashed in her eyes. "300 thousand dollars? You're really that shameless?" Stephanie retorted, "What, can't afford it?" Pride aside, money was paramount. Olivia gritted her teeth at Stephanie's arrogant tone. "Fine. I'll bet!"
Three hundred thousand dollars was a substantial sum, but Olivia trusted Chris wouldn't fail her; if Stephanie lost, she'd pay Olivia instead. Truthfully, Olivia desperately needed the money. A blackmailer still lurked, and her recent hospital stay led the Hart family to believe she wasn't spending much; she was nearly destitute. If she could get money from Stephanie, her problems would be solved. Remembering Stephanie's studio had earned over two million dollars last year, 300,000 seemed insignificant to her.
Olivia sent another message, "Remember, no backing out. You made the bet yourself." Stephanie replied, "Of course. No backing out. Just don't start crying when you lose." The phrase "start crying" stung Olivia. Stephanie continued, "And don't you dare say you don't have the money when the time comes. You better be prepared for the consequences, or I'll make sure you regret it." Olivia nearly fainted from anger. In a rage, she deleted the messages and returned her phone to the nurse.
Stephanie, seeing Olivia's silence, knew she'd won. She always established ground rules first. She intensely disliked Olivia. By the time Stephanie reached her studio, an hour had passed. Jackson stood, exclaiming, "Stefi, you're finally here. I've been waiting forever!" His overly familiar tone, almost suggesting a deep friendship, especially his attempt to put his arm around her (which she dodged), unsettled her. "Looks like he hasn't learned his lesson from Sebastian yet," she thought. Stephanie cut him short, "Just say what you need to say." His false friendliness unnerved her.